Harlequin Superromance January 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: A Ranch for His Family\Cowgirl in High Heels\A Man to Believe In (58 page)

Cassie smiled. It sure was. “Looks like Nurse Chapman has made the grade.”

He clapped Peter on the shoulder. “So I can untether you two from working the same shifts now.”

Cassie's heart sank, and she felt like a fool. “Absolutely. Peter can fly solo anytime.”

“I'm away this weekend. Taking the girls into Manhattan. Carl is on duty. I see you took the weekend off, as well.”

Cassie nodded. “We both worked a double shift this week.”

Peter held up a hand. “I'm not complaining, but I have yet to buy a bed. Some time off will give me a chance to settle in.”

“Well deserved, I'm sure. See you both next week.”

Driving in the Jeep, Cassie glanced over at Peter. “How are you going to haul a bed without your truck?”

“I can always have it delivered.” He hesitated. “Or I can wait on the bed and do what I really want to do tomorrow.”

“What's that?”

“Ask you to give me a personal tour of Montauk.”

* * *

W
HEN
C
ASSIE
PULLED
into Peter's driveway the next morning, she still wrestled with her mixed feelings about meeting him. They'd planned for ten o'clock, and she was punctual, as usual. She'd hardly slept at all last night because she couldn't decide if she'd made a mistake agreeing to spend the day with him. Sure, they called a truce on the flirting, but it didn't stop the feelings that bombarded her when she met his gaze, or laughed at his jokes.

Peter was turning out to be a really nice guy. Lots of character wrapped up in a well-built, boy next door with attitude and charm.

She balanced two cups of coffee as she maneuvered the car door shut with her hips. She was looking forward to introducing Peter to the local sights. She loved showing off Montauk. Did it all the time with visitors. So, she couldn't quite figure out why her heart was pounding. She laughed at herself. All she had to do was keep it friendly. Period. Yet, when he stepped onto his porch as she walked up, and she saw the way he watched her, she felt like a million dollars.

She laughed to herself. Maybe his interest was because she carried coffees.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and snug jeans that sat low on his hips, his hair damp and sun-streaked, falling haphazardly around his head, he possessed a natural sensuality that he didn't even seem aware he had. She swallowed hard as she realized his bruised eye made him look vulnerable, which tugged mercilessly at her inner Florence Nightingale. Without even trying, Peter Chapman had her full attention. No ignoring that fact. He reached for the coffees and Cassie experienced a sense of relief that he hadn't reached for her.

“I'm so grateful you brought these. I still have to buy a coffeepot. Come in for a minute. I'm just finishing up with an important email.”

He cleared a space on the dining-room table where his laptop was open and offered her a chair. He slid into his seat and shot her a smile although concern lit his eyes.

“I'm checking on my mom.”

So, he had a mom. “Is she okay?”

He focused on the computer screen. “She is now.”

A dodged answer. Cassie let that one slide as she lifted the lid from her coffee. Curious as she was now, she knew she'd pry the information from him sooner or later. Since they were still learning about each other, sooner would have to wait. Rather than stare at Peter, as she wanted to do, she stood and paced slowly around the open rooms.

The kitchen was nice and orderly. A basket on the counter held fruit and tomatoes. The bathroom door was ajar in the hallway. Remnants of warm moisture from his recent shower still permeated the air with the scent of soap. The folded blankets topped with two pillows on the couch gave her the feeling that she was invading his personal space, but his welcoming and relaxed demeanor erased the thought. She suspected he found her company as easy as she found his.

Had it only been two weeks since she fished him out of his truck unconscious and bleeding?

“Have your sutures dissolved?”

He pulled his focus from the computer. She must have gone too long without dating because her entire body responded to his simple gaze. Unbelievable. Did he have this effect on all women?

He shook his head. “Almost gone. Can you handle looking at my black eye?”

Was he kidding? The fact that he even questioned his appeal seemed absurd. She grinned. “I'm pretty sure I can handle anything about you.”

He turned off the computer, pushed back his chair. “Are you flirting with me again, Nurse Michaels?”

She rolled her eyes. Damn. She stepped over the line with that one. “Sorry. My bad.”

He laughed. When he stood and she had to lift her head to look into his eyes, she'd never felt more vulnerable for a kiss before in her life. Instead of even making the moment possible, she reached for their coffees from the table and handed Peter his. “Let's get going. I want to show you the lighthouse.”

CHAPTER SIX

I
N
THE
SHORT
fifteen-minute ride to the lighthouse, Peter was convinced he had made the right decision in asking Cassie to show him around. And conversant? There had been no loss for conversation between them from the moment they had gotten into the Jeep. It was as if the whole world stopped and only the two of them existed. She looked hot in her jeans and tight, embroidered shirt topped with a pink hoodie that hugged her curves just right. He couldn't help but wonder what she had on underneath it all, then chided himself. She'd specifically asked him to slow down.

The urge to kiss her hadn't lessened since they'd both admitted to flirting and decided to start again more civilly. That handshake had been more like a dare to not flirt anymore. He saw it in her eyes when she had walked up to his house. She liked what she saw in him, and nothing encouraged him more. He'd go slowly, but the more time he spent with her, the more she intrigued him. He still saw
keeper
written all over her.

Now she was describing her version of the emergency room dynamics of their coworkers, putting a positive spin on potentially negative behaviors. Peter liked watching Cassie's animation as she spoke. Her readiness to laugh or listen. Oh, yes. He wanted to know everything about her as fast as he could.

“So, what you're saying is that Rachel's sisterly concern for everyone is really her way of being nosy?”

Cassie looked at him as if shocked before melting into laughter. “Rachel means well. But given how Doc feels about coworkers dating, you can be sure that I won't be telling her about the time we spend together today. She'll read all sorts of innuendos into it.”

Amazing. She willingly spoke about the possibilities between them out loud in the way he was hoping they'd go. “Wow. I like that you think this is a date.”

“Easy does it, Peter. This is
not
a date. I'm showing you around the sights so you can get your bearings and see what's so wonderful about Montauk.” She wheeled into the parking lot below the lighthouse.

He hadn't missed her comment about Doc. That explained the raised brow when Peter first stopped in at the hospital to see Cassie. “So, Doc doesn't like his employees to date?”

She winced. “Will you think less of me if I say he made that rule because an intern he really valued quit when we broke up?”

He laughed. “Do I need to worry about you?”

Concern filled her face. “Don't get me wrong. I'm not promiscuous or anything.”

He liked that she was backpedaling. “But our boss made a rule against dating based on you.”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Not at all.”

She focused on steering the Jeep through the parking lot, a stain of a blush rising on her cheeks. “That intern was a mistake. And the only employee I ever dated. I don't date much anymore.”

“Why not?”

She slowed down to take a turn. “It's complicated.”

“Did somebody break your heart?”

When she didn't respond, Peter said, “More silence. You are now a mysterious woman.”

She waved a hand. “The chemistry hasn't been there. I shouldn't have dated the few guys I have because I knew from the start it wouldn't work.”

“Do you feel that way about me?”

She started to speak then hesitated.

“What, Cassie?”

“I feel chemistry here. It's exciting but scaring the heck out of me.”

Yes! She admitted it. He had to speak his mind. “I am unbelievably attracted to you, Cassie.”

Her voice became softer. “I am not ready to get involved again.”

“How do you know I won't be different?”

Her lips pressed together. “I don't.”

She pulled abruptly into a parking space. Put the Jeep in Park. The air between them was charged enough to light a city. She'd spoken her mind; he'd follow suit. He couldn't help himself.

She turned off the engine. Her gaze slid from his face to the lighthouse in the distance behind him. More than anything, he wanted her to look at him again. “Are you okay, Cassie?”

She slid on a pair of aviator sunglasses. “How about we get out and walk?”

* * *

C
ASSIE
INSISTED
ON
paying for their admission tickets. He promised to buy lunch in return. As they made their way to the path, Peter was tempted to slip his hand around Cassie's, but she stuffed her hands in the pockets of her hoodie, as if she needed to regain her equilibrium. Peter knew just how she felt. He'd give her space. For now. If she felt the pull of attraction between them the way he did, instinct told him she might be skittish. He loved the idea of earning her trust enough to make her his.

She looked up at him. “So was it weird driving across the country alone?”

Small talk. Good idea. He shrugged. “Not really. Lonely mostly. My brother and I spoke a lot along the way.” He shot her a grin. “I was talking with him on the phone when I saw you on your bike.”

The corners of her mouth turned up. “What did you say about me?”

“That I had to stop talking because I couldn't do three things at once.”

“Three things?”

He tapped a finger for each item. “Drive. Talk to him. Watch you. And not necessarily in that order.”

She laughed. “Well, given the way you drove, clearly you were distracted by something.”

“I can guarantee you it wasn't the phone conversation.”

She blushed behind her sunglasses. He liked that.

They reached the base of the hill where the white lighthouse with the brown strip stood behind a two-story colonial house. A smaller building and a radio tower completed the compound.

Cassie said, “Did you know that the Montauk lighthouse was the first one built in America? It was commissioned by the second congress when George Washington was president in 1796.”

“I know I've said it before, but you make a wonderful tour guide.”

“I really should have brought you here at dawn.” She smiled. “People come from all over Long Island to make the sunrise pilgrimage.”

“Then we have an excuse for another excursion.”

She dipped her head and looked at him shyly. “I can honestly say I like that idea.”

She'd pulled her hands from her hoodie when they started the trek up to the lighthouse, and Peter took the opportunity to grab her right hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, if only briefly. “I just want to say I'd love to date you, but I'm happy simply spending time with you.”

She squeezed his hand before releasing it. “Thank you. I appreciate that more than you know.”

He pointed to a sculpture that came into view behind the lighthouse. “What's that?”

Cassie glanced in the direction he pointed. Did the color just drain from her face? Her voice grew quiet. “That's the Fisherman's Memorial.”

She swiped loosened tendrils of hair from her cheek, then shoved her hands back into the pockets of her hoodie. It was subtle, but he definitely felt a shift of emotions in her from warm to cool.

She said, “Let's go to the top of the lighthouse. Shall we?”

He let her lead him up the steps to the colonial. “Sounds perfect. I'll follow you anywhere.”

* * *

C
ASSIE
SUDDENLY
HAD
trouble catching a breath walking next to Peter. The cool breeze off the ocean sent a chill down her back. At first, she had loved when he had scooped up her hand, but the moment he asked about the monument, she'd felt like someone had hit her with a brick. What had she been thinking? She had made the worst mistake bringing Peter here. Caught up in the mindset of showing a visitor the local points of interest, she'd totally overlooked the emotional wallop she felt every time she saw the memorial. The lighthouse had been there forever, the memorial only recently. One glance at that fisherman and her blood ran cold. It was like flirting with a new boyfriend on her fiancé's grave. With the heat of their discussion still ripe in her mind, this was the wrong place to be. She couldn't just turn on her heels and demand they leave, though. Peter wouldn't understand, and she wasn't ready to explain. Climbing the one hundred and ten feet to the top of the lighthouse wouldn't be far enough away from the memorial.

She handed their tickets to the woman inside the door. As they headed for the stairs, she said, “We'll go up, then I'll take you to Ditch Plains. I'm sure you'd like to see one of the surfing hot spots.”

An hour later, she steered her Jeep up the small street leading to the dunes. If Peter knew how uncomfortable she'd become, he didn't show it. Now that they'd left the lighthouse, her calm had returned. When he reached for her hand as they walked to the beach, she let him. His solid grip felt warm, good. Right now she needed that. Being haunted by memories of the dead left her cold.

On this Saturday in spring, the beach that was usually packed in the summer months was empty except for a few surfers and beach walkers. Boulders and rocks littered the sand and the surf. Low tide was the worst for walking the beach. The tide was high at the moment, so waves washed pristine sand. The bluffs along the shore stretched as far as the eye could see. She zipped up her hoodie against the freshening breeze and pulled the hood on her head.

Peter wore a gray fleece hoodie of his own. She squeezed his hand in hers. “It's cooler than I thought for a walk. You warm enough?” she asked him.

His eyes were nearly invisible beneath his sunglasses. His hair lifted in the drafts as he scanned the beach and the surf. His profile was simply beautiful. While
beautiful
wasn't quite the right word choice to describe a man, it was the word that jumped into her head. Like a Michelangelo marble sculpture, his features seemed perfect. He smiled, and her knees trembled. “I'm so warm, I'm great,” he said.

She grinned in return. “I know.”

He raised a brow as if processing the meaning of her answer. He released her hand. “I'll keep you warm, if you're chilled.”

The part of her that wanted to let go of those pained memories and take a chance again on love wanted to say yes. The other half knew better. “It's okay. We don't have to walk. I wanted to show you this beach so you'd know how to get here.”

He stood beside her, elbow-to-elbow, amicably admiring the beautiful view. They watched the surf in silence, and her breath caught in her throat. She had to force herself to pull the freshening air into her lungs in slow even breaths. Here she stood on one of her most favorite spots in the entire world, next to a virtual stranger, and nothing felt more right. She'd taken her sandals off to walk the beach, and she dug her toes into the cool sand as if to root in the moment. Peter Chapman was as solid and real as a guy could get. It had been too long since a man had made her feel so comfortable, and she was grateful for these new emotions.

Peter said, “Those waves look awesome.”

“The surf is like this most of the time.”

He whistled softly. “They were good at Hither Hills, too. I'm going to love it here.”

His enthusiasm made her smile. “I'm sure Brian will take you around to a few secret spots, as well.”

“Excellent.” He turned her to face him. “Thanks for showing me the beach. How about some lunch?”

* * *

C
ASSIE
SAT
ACROSS
from Peter in the seafood shack she'd chosen despite the urge she felt to take the seat directly next to him. What was it about Peter that had her thinking she'd like to be closer?

The only concession Peter made to their discussion about the possible chemistry between them was that he now smiled at her as if they shared a secret. Given the fact that she didn't want to set any tongues wagging, she was glad a table filled the distance between them because she was beginning to like him more and more. And more.

“I'm embarrassed I mentioned the chemistry thing to you in one breath while telling you to back off in another,” she blurted.

His gaze shot to hers. “I'm not. Please do me the honor of ceasing such foolish thoughts. You didn't tell me to leave you alone now, did you?”

She looked incredulous. “Ceasing?”

He grinned. “I think Shakespeare said that once.”

She laughed out loud as the waitress approached to take their orders. This guy was priceless.

A million questions circled her mind, and they were all about him. She was glad when their food arrived to distract her. Already impressed with him as a nurse, she was rapidly coming to the conclusion that he was an honest and trustworthy man, and from the few hints he'd given, she was curious as to what type of life he had left behind.

She popped a fried bay scallop into her mouth. “So, I told you that my mom is a nurse. My dad is a third-generation fisherman.”

Peter wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Did your mom work with Doc before you did?”

“Yes. She works in the community now. Troubled kids. Home-bound seniors.”

“She sounds like a caring woman.”

Cassie nodded. “She's the one who taught me that helping others is its own reward.”

She didn't want to say this to Peter, but despite her mother's generous nature, Cassie suspected that her mother learned to find emotional satisfaction from people around her instead of relying on Dad. Her dad was gone at sea too much.

As if reading her thoughts, Peter broke the silence that had fallen between them. “Your dad must know the ocean pretty well.”

Like his father and his father before him, Bobby Michaels made his living from the surrounding waters and the canyon seventy miles offshore. “That's an understatement. Dad is one of those men who can't resist the sea. He'll run the
Lady Beth
until he's too old to climb over the transom. Salt water is in his blood.”